Psalm 103:15-16 “Our days are so few, and our momentary beauty so swiftly fades away! Then all of a sudden, we’re gone, like grass clippings blown away in a gust of wind, taken away to our appointment with death, leaving nothing to show that we were here.” Today's episode talks about how short life is and how we never know when it is the last time we may see someone or do something. If we did, we might do things differently. We might say different things. We probably wouldn't leave things unsaid. It also talks about how we should put first things first and how important it is to include the Lord in our lives. Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Our Father’s Love (Part 10) What If This Time, Was The Last Time?
Psalm 103:15-16 “Our days are so few, and our momentary beauty so swiftly fades away! Then all of a sudden, we’re gone, like grass clippings blown away in a gust of wind, taken away to our appointment with death, leaving nothing to show that we were here.”
Wow, I was surprised to read that when I sat down to write this episode. It is something we all know, and yet we really don’t like to think about it. It is also strange that this is the verse for today because I just turned off the TV after watching an episode of The Closer. In this episode, a man helped get his son and daughter ready for school and then had to go to work. After he left, someone came in and shot his wife, mother-in-law, and two children. It turns out the person who shot them went to the wrong address. This man had a normal morning with his children and left to go to work, just like he always does, and yet his life will never be the same again. At the end of the show, they showed the chief detective at her house. The day before, she had left for work, and her cat was eating breakfast. When her husband came home at lunchtime, the cat had thrown up the breakfast, so her husband brought the cat to the vet. The cat was not doing well. She couldn’t understand how she had just seen the cat eating, and now she may never get to see the cat again.
This seems like a strange way to begin a devotional, and yet I think it demonstrates an important fact that we really don’t like to think about. We never know when it will be the last time we get to do something. If we knew it was the last time we were going to get to do something, we would probably do it very differently than we did. For instance, if you knew it was the very last time you were going to breastfeed your baby, you probably wouldn’t have been in such a rush for them to finish so you could get on with your day. If you knew it was the last time you were going to talk to your loved one, you probably would have said very different things. If you knew it was the last time you were to get to eat pizza, you would have savored it more. Do you see where I am going with this?
If we knew it was the last time, we would do it right. However, we rarely know it is going to be the last time. There are things we are blessed to get to know. For instance, if we get to be sitting with a loved one right before they pass on. At the end of the year, we know it is the child’s last day of whatever grade they just completed unless they get sick that last day. We don’t usually know when it’s the last time we will get to see our child crawl or the last time they will say that cute phrase they always say. We don’t know when it'll be the last time we will get to hug them or kiss them. Anything can happen at any time.
There are a couple of important things this verse can bring to our attention. The first one is that life is short, and we need not to take it for granted. What if we started approaching every interaction we had with people as if it were our last? What if we stopped leaving things unsaid? What if we were deliberate with our interactions and stopped to think before we acted and definitely before we spoke? Imagine what it would be like to leave each interaction with others without any regrets. Imagine being so present every single time you were with your loved ones that if that were the last time you saw them, you would be proud of your interactions. What is one way you can take what this verse says and apply it to your life and/or your interactions with others?
The second thing this verse shows us is how short this life is. The verse says, “Our days are so few, and our momentary beauty so swiftly fades away! Then all of a sudden, we’re gone, like grass clippings blown away in a gust of wind, taken away to our appointment with death, leaving nothing to show that we were here.” Our days here in this world are so few. We think we are here for a long time, so we do what we can to fit into this world. We focus on things that aren’t important, as this verse points out. Our momentary beauty so swiftly fades away. Yet that can be our main priority at times. Often our focus is on things of this world even though we are just here for a short amount of time. We spend a tiny amount of time in this world and, hopefully, eternity with our heavenly Father. So, why are we spending all of our time focusing on the things of this world when this is not where we will stay?
We need to keep our eyes fixed on the one above. When we put God first in our lives, we not only please him but also improve our lives here on earth. When we make time to pray or add prayer to the things we are already doing, our lives are blessed beyond measure. Usually, when things start going sideways in our lives, we can see it’s because we stopped putting God first. For instance, we stopped asking God to lead the way, and we took over the driver’s seat. If we want to take the lead, God will let us. That is how strongly He believes in free will. He will let us make a big old mess of our lives, and then He will be there to help us put it back together again. Wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t have to keep putting it back together again, though? This is where prayer comes in; this is why it is so important to put first things first. When we put God first and we stop to talk with Him before we make decisions, then life goes so much smoother. If we want to spend eternity with God, we need to remember this in all of our interactions here on Earth.
The last thing I don’t want to miss is the very last line that says that we are “taken away to our appointment with death, leaving nothing to show that we were here.” We all have an appointment with death, and yet none of us know when it will be. I just want to mention something that my mentor Pamela Crim mentions a lot. You need to be in the photos. This verse says we are taken away, leaving nothing to show that we were here. This is only true if you are not getting in any of the photos. Many of us listening are the ones that usually take the photos. Sometimes, it is because we really like to, sometimes because no one else will, and other times it is because we are too ashamed or embarrassed by our bodies to be in the photos. Regardless of what you look like, your family will be happy you got in the photos. When you pass on, these photos will tell the story of your life. They can’t do that if you are not in any photos. I am not going to go on and on about this. However, I felt I should prompted to mention it. Get in the photos, be intentional with each interaction you have, and put God first. I believe if you do these three things, you won’t have to worry about not knowing when it will be the last time you do something or see someone. You will be prepared.
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless each person listening to this episode today. Lord, we love you, and we appreciate you. We are sorry we take so many moments you give us for granted. We are sorry we take people for granted. Please help us change this, Lord. Help us to put you first. Help us to pay attention and be in the moment and intentional with each interaction we have. We are so grateful that you love us and you protect us. We are grateful that you don’t take us for granted. You are so wonderful, and we are so blessed by you. We thank you for all the graces you have given us, and we ask you to continue to bless us as we try to figure out this crazy thing called life. We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name. Amen!
Thank you so much for joining me in this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I look forward to meeting you hear again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I! Have a blessed day.
Today’s word of prophecy from our prayer group is: "How precious you are each and every one of you. I know every detail of your life and I hold it deeply in my heart. I hear your prayers in the silence of my heart. They echo and reverberate through me. Fear not; I am always with you, thinking of you and leading you.”